Rack for cigarette packages



. 5, 1939. I w. R. .FORD

RACK FORCIGARETTE PACKAGES Filed Aug. 5, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 3 g wfi 7/ Z 3 0 9 8 EH iziilv. a 2 E w I llll a lllllllll II J 5 111111 -w z a a i: \V ,MQ O 0 2% 9 7 BY mww @w a Dec. 5, 1939. w. R. FORD RACK FOR CIGARETTE 505mm 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Aug; 5, 1938 ATTOR EY llllllIlllllllIlllllllIllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll A: m E

Patented Dec. 5, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE RACK FOR CIGARETTE PACKAGES William R. Ford, Oakland, Calif.

Application August 5, 1938, Serial No. 223,149

4 Claims.

This invention relates to racks or storage bins for cigarettes or the like packages which are used in stores or cigar stands to maintain a quantity of the said packages within easy reach of the attendant.

It is an object of the invention to provide a dispensing rack for packaged goods which permits the removal of only one package at a time and precludes thepossibility of a quantity of the packages accidently tumbling out of the rack onto the floor.

Another object of the invention is to provide, in a rack provided with a dispensing opening behind which is stored a plurality of stacks of packaged articles, means for moving a stack of the articles into registry with the dispensing opening after the preceding stack has been depleted.

The invention possesses other objects and features of advantage some of which, together with the foregoing, will be specifically set forth in the detailed description of the invention hereunto annexed. It is to be understood that the invention is not to be limited to the particular form thereof herein shown and described as various other forms thereof may be employed within thescope of the appended claims.

Referring to the drawings:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the rack of my invention.

Figure 2 is a vertical sectional view taken on the line 2-2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a longitudinal vertical sectional view of the rack. The plane of section is indicated by the line 3-3 of Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a view similar to Figure 3 showing a fresh stack of packages moved up to replace the depleted stack shown in the latter figure.

In detail, the rack comprises a rectangular box having spaced side walls '5, a top 1, back 8, bottom 9, and a front composed of a loading door I l which is pivotally secured by hinges IE to the upper edge of a plate 13 fixedly secured to the front edges of the side walls 6. The door H is. releasably. secured in closed position by a friction latch M and is provided with a central opening 16 through which the interior of the box may be visually inspected. The bottom edge of the plate i3 is spaced above the surface of the bottom 9 so as to provide an opening ll through which articles contained in the rack may be dispensed,

Secured to the upper surface of the bottom 9, in spaced relation so as to provide a gap l8 therebetween, is a pair of rails it which extend from a point spaced from the dispensing opening ll to the back 8 of the box, and a deflecting block 2i having an inclined upper surface 22 which slopes from the upper surface of the rails 13 to the bottom 9, is secured at the end of the rails so that the surface 22 inclines toward the dispensing opening. The outer vertical sides of the rails [9 are provided, at their junction with the surface of. the bottom 9, with longitudinally extending guide grooves 23 in which are slidably disposed metallic base plates 24. Straddling the rails i9 and provided with legs 26, which are secured to the base plates 24, is a pusher plate Zl, and brackets 28 secured, respectively, to the base plates and to the pusher plate, are provided for lending vertical stability to the latter. The arrangement of the parts is such that the pusher plate is movable horizontally back and forth along the guide grooves between either end of the box.

Secured between the side walls 6 below the bottom 9 is a base member 29 having in the top thereof a longitudinal groove which forms, in conjunction with the lower surface of the bottom, a channel 3| in which is slidably mounted a feed bar 32 having at its inner end an upturned arm 33 which extends upwardly through the gap it between the rails l9 and also through a registering gap 34 formed in the bottom and lies in back of the pusher plate 21. The outer end of the feed bar is turned downwardly to provide a leg 33 to: which is attached a pull knob 3i. The normal position of the feed bar is as shown in Figure 3 wherein it rests at its extreme right hand limit of travel with the pull knob positioned under and substantially obscured by the bottom 9. By grasping the pull knob and drawing it outwardly, as shown by the solid lines of Figure 4, the arm 33, since it contacts the back of the pusher plate 21 will cause the latter to move toward the front of the box. After the pusher plate has been moved to a desired position, the feed bar and the arm 33 may be retracted without affecting the position of the pusher plate by moving the pull knob back to its normal position whereupon the arm 33 will be spaced, as shown by the dotted lines 38, from the back of the pusher plate.

The rack may be loaded with goods, such as th cigarette packages 39 shown as examples in the drawings, through the door ll shown by the dotted lines in partially open position in Figure 3. The number of packages that may be placed in the rack is, of course, dependent upon the size of the latter and it is obvious that this may be as large or as small as desired without departing from the spirit of the invention. The packages are supported on the top of the rails 19 in vertical stacks, the foremost stack which lies just inside the door having the lowermost package thereof resting on the bottom 9 with the remaining packages supported by and above it. It will be seen that the lowermost package projects partially through the dispensing opening while the remainder of the stack overlies the sloping surface 22 of the deflecting block 2|. When the attendant withdraws the package projecting from the dispensing opening, the plate l3 and the front end of the bottom 9 being provided with suitable cut-outs 42 to facilitate the ready grasping of the package, the remaining packages in the stack above the package removed will drop by gravity. As the lower package falls, it will contact the surface 22 of the deflecting block and Will be forced horizontally partially through the dispensing opening until it assumes the position shown in Figure 4. Thus a package is always extending from the rack in such a position that it may be quickly and easily grasped by the attendant. After the stack has been depleted and the final package, shown in Figure 3, has been removed, the attendant grasps the pull knob 31 and draws it outwardly as far as it will go, thereafter returning it to its normal retracted position. This causes the feed bar arm 33 to move the pusher plate 2? toward the forward end of the rack carrying with it all of the stacks in the rack and bringing the foremost stack into contact with the inner side of the door I i. As the foremost stack was being moved into dispensing position, the lowermost package thereof slid downwardly along the sloped deflector bar surface 22 and was projected partially through the dispensing opening ready to be grasped by the attendant. The rack of my invention just described finds particular utility in stores where a considerable quantity of packaged goods, such as cigarettes, are sold. By the provision of a rack capable of holding a large quantity of the packages, the time expended and bother occasioned byhaving to constantly replenish smaller racks is obviated. The structure whereby but a single package may be removed at a time functions to prevent accidental tumbling, as can occur in open ended racks, of some of the contents of the rack onto the floor where they may be trampled upon or otherwise damaged, and the feature of being able to constantly maintain a fresh stack of packages at the front of the rack obviates the necessity of the attendant having to reach deeply into the rack to secure the desired one or a number of packages, maintains the packages within view of the customer, and is good sales psychology.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as novel and desire to secure by Letters- Patent is:

l. A rack for packaged articles comprising a hollow box having a dispensing opening therein, means in said box for supporting a plurality of contiguously disposed vertical stacks of said articles arranged in planar alinement with one of said stacks in dispensing position wherein successive articles therein move by gravity toward said dispensing opening as preceding articles are removed through said opening, means operative during movement of said articles toward said opening for projecting successive of said articles stack may be withdrawn successively through said opening, means operative upon removal of successive articles through said openings for projecting following articles into and through said opening, means slidably mounted on said rails for moving said stacks along the rails, and means extending exteriorly of said box and engaging said stack moving means for moving the latter.

3. A rack for packaged articles comprising a hollow box having a dispensing opening therein and adjacent a bottom end thereof, rails in and extending along the bottom of said box from said dispensing opening on which horizontally ar-- ranged vertical stacks of said articles may be supported with one of said stacks in dispensing position engaging the end of said box above said dispensing opening wherein said articles in the stack may be withdrawn successively through said opening, means operative upon removal of successive articles through said opening for projecting following articles into and through said opening, a pusher plate slidably mounted on said rails, rising vertically therefrom and engaging one of said plurality of package stacks, and manually operated means engaging said pusher plate and extending exteriorly of said box for mor ing said pusher plate and said package stacks longitudinally along said rails.

4. A rack for packaged articles comprising a hollow box having a dispensing opening therein and adjacent a bottom end thereof, a pair of rails secured to the bottom of said box and spaced to provide therebetween a guide slot, said rails being disposed to support thereon horizontally arranged vertical stacks of said articles with one of said stacks in dispensing position engaging the end of said box above said dispensing aperture wherein said articles in the stack may be with drawn successively through said opening, a deflecting block secured in said box adjacent said dispensing opening having thereon an inclined surface with which said succeeding articles, as preceding articles are withdrawn through the dispensing opening, may engage to project said succeeding articles toward and through said opening, a pusher plate slidably mounted on said rails, rising vertically therefrom and engaging one of said plurality of package stacks, a feed bar slidably mounted exteriorly on said box, an arm rising from said feed bar, passing through. said guide slot between the rails and releasably engaging said pusher plate, and an exposed man ual grip member carried by said feed bar whereby the latter may be moved longitudinally of ti box to move the pusher plate and the package stacks engaged thereby along said rails toward said dispensing position.

WILLIAM R. FORD. 

